


Scritches

by scurvaliciousbay



Series: Inquisitor!Kass and Companion!Mel [13]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Caserole - Freeform, Fluff, Other, Tumblr Prompt, prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-09-12 15:15:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16875207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scurvaliciousbay/pseuds/scurvaliciousbay
Summary: Prompt: back/horn scritches





	Scritches

Par Vollen and Seheron are not just hot, they are humid. While some dragons and other horned beasts could withstand the dryness of the Western Approach, Qunari could not. Kass feels the skin around her horns begin to dry, risking to crack if she doesn’t get some moisture into them soon. The horns themselves also feel dry and itchy, in dire need of balms and oils that really only were made in Par Vollen and Seheron.

But while the cracking is painful and needs to be taken care of, she is exhausted by the dry heat, fighting, and marching through the sand. Par Vollen had near constant cloud cover because of the rain, which mitigated some of the sun’s heat, but out here in this desert wasteland, there was no such thing. The sun bore down on them, burning them, heating them to a crisp. She didn’t miss her old life in Par Vollen but the weather…she missed that.

She puts up her tent and splashes some water on her horns and skin, paying no mind to her hair which would invariably retaliate in the morning.

“Would you like some assistance, Inquisitor?” Melarue offers in a soft tone over supper, a drab affair of jerky and dried fruit.

Kass sighs, about to politely decline, but winces as she feels the skin crack and bleed. Well, that’s a little obvious to deny.

“Yes, thank you,” she concedes. Melarue nods and pulls out their own supply of elfroot balm while Kass procures her tub of horn balm. She doesn’t have the oils, but the balms will do for now. She’ll have to talk to Leliana or Josephine or someone back at Skyhold to start importing for Qunari luxury goods.

She leads Melarue back into her tent, her back twitching with giddy. Their dance at Halamshiral had been…well. Exciting to say the least. There’s this tension between them, not a bad tension, but a tension that could very well lead to  _things_.  _Things_ that she isn’t entirely against. But now…now she is just tired and in need of help, which they seem more than happy to give.

They sit behind her and dip their fingers in the elfroot balm, careful to smooth it over the bleeding cracks. They smooth it over all of her horns and while it isn’t the moisturization she needs, it brings relief, stitching closed the wounds. They wait a moment before opening the horn balm. They start from the tips of her horns, slowly working it up to the base.

She gasps and bites back a relief filled moan as they gently ease the balm into her skin. The relief is instantaneous and their hands are wonders, gentle and smooth that bring just the right amount of pressure.

“Your horns are gorgeous, Kassaran, almost as lovely as the rest of you,” they compliment. She smiles, her eyes drifting closed.

“Hmm, and you would know a thing or two about being gorgeous,” she replies.

“I do and your horns…I once lived in a land that tried to replicate such beautiful adornments, but they never came close to yours,” they whisper.

“The more I hear about Tevinter, the more disturbed it sounds.”

They pause for a moment, “It is a land of oppressors. The oppressed are typically less disturbed, or just different ways. The oppressors wished to look like dragons, to inspire fear and awe in their followers.”

“There are theories that the Qunari are related to dragons in some way.” She can’t bite back the moan when they massage a particularly tender spot of flesh.

“I can see that. Your people have an intensity about them, from Qunari to Tal-Vashoth to Vashoth. You are passionate people. And you in particular have all the beauty and wonder of a dragon, all the fierceness, you do not need to affect anything.”

She chuckles self-consciously, careful to not shake her head at their words.

“You are…exceptionally complimentary.”

“Should I stop?”

“No, you simply caught me unawares. You are wondrous yourself, quiet and beautiful. And kind, thank you for this.”

They chuckle, “It is no trouble, I assure you.” Their hands then sink into her hair and begin to gently massage her scalp. She gasps and groans, leaning into them.

“Melarue,” she says in a breathless voice.

“Shh, let me do this, you just relax. You have the weight of Thedas on you.” Their hands drift down to her neck, working out the tension. After a moment, they guide her to lay down on her cot and slowly begin to press into her back.

“I feel like I should reciprocate…” she whispers, eyes beginning to drift closed as their hands work in sweeping arcs up her back.

“There is no need, I offered.”

“But still, you’re so good, you deserve good too,” she’s not sure if that makes sense but they seem to understand. They hush her again and continue to rub out the tension in her shoulders, the center of her back, and drifting down to ease the muscles at the small of her back. This is much more than she initially agreed to, but their hands are bordering on magical as they ease all the tension from her. She barely feels the pain of the Mark either, and with that realization, she can no longer resist sleep’s siren call. Kassaran drifts into a deep sleep, murmuring a barely intelligible plea for Melarue to stay. Not for sex, just…sleep.

When she wakes, they’re there, soundly asleep next her, beautiful and relaxed. She smiles softly and closes her eyes again. They can sleep in a little more, they’ve earned it.

**Author's Note:**

> Melarue belongs to circadian_rythm
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
